Chapter Text
The sky was filled with dark clouds and crackling thunder. Smoke and fire filled the air as lightning bolts split through the heavens. All that could be seen was darkness… and yet, he held no fear.
He glared up at his foe, his eyes glowing fiercely red as he clenched his fists. The wind howled wildly, causing his scarf to whip around his face, but he didn’t care. Right now, all he could focus on was the one before him… the one who held the one person most precious to him captive. Seeing her there, trapped and with no way out… it made his blood boil. He growled, embers seeping through his tightly clenched jaws.
“Let her go…!!” Natsu growled.
“I’m afraid not,” said the shadowy figure as he stood in front of Lucy, who grunted as she tried to free herself. “This girl’s power is necessary for the plan to be a success…” He smirked. “Say goodbye to her… Salamander.”
“Natsu!!” Lucy cried out as she struggled against her bonds while Natsu growled viciously, the flames around his hands intensifying.
To think that everything started out so normally just a few days ago… and even now, all Natsu could do was think about everything that led up to this point, all the way back to that day.
The day he attempted to tell Lucy that he loved her.
~Several Days Ago~
It was a beautiful spring morning that day. Flowers were in bloom, the birds were chirping their sweet songs as they perched in the branches, and the wind was calm. Nothing could possibly interrupt the sylvan peace of the beautiful forest…
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”
…except for that.
All of a sudden, Blue Fang the Silver Wolf burst through the shrubs, carrying a panicked Natsu, Lucy, and Haru on his back while Happy clung tightly to his tail, all of them screaming with comical expressions of terror on their faces… and it was soon revealed why as a huge stampede of giant boars came charging after them, trampling everything in their wake.
“THEY’RE GAINING ON US!!!” Happy cried as he looked back with his little legs flailing about.
“FASTER!!” Natsu urged. “MAKE BLUE FANG RUN FASTER, SIS!!!”
“QUIET, I’M DRIVING!!!” Haru yelled as she clung to the wolf’s collar.
“HOW DID I LET YOU GUYS TALK ME INTO THIS?!!” Lucy screamed as she clung to Natsu’s back.
As Blue Fang leapt over a ledge, he dropped down to the ground, forcing the others to duck down and cover their heads. Natsu, in particular, tucked Happy under one arm while carefully holding his other arm over Lucy’s head. Haru on the other hand had braced her hands over her own head and clenched her eyes shut as the boars jumped overhead, kicking up a huge cloud of dust as they went. Eventually, the stampede finally moved on… but not without one last one, one with fur as white as snow, jumped off the ledge and ran to join the rest of its sounder. As soon as the rumbling of hooves stopped, Natsu, Lucy, Haru, Happy, and Blue Fang quickly raised their heads.
“Phew! That was close, huh?” Natsu asked.
“Natsu, you doofus, that wasn’t the Rare White Mountain Stag!” Haru yelled as she turned and glared at him. “That was the Rare White Mountain BOAR! ”
“Hey, what difference does it make?!” asked Natsu. “They both got hooves!”
“What does that have to do with it?!” Haru questioned as Blue Fang groaned and slapped a paw over his face in dismay. Meanwhile, Lucy panted heavily with Happy in her arms, the cat looking just as bedraggled as her.
“Again, I ask,” she said, “how did I let you guys talk me into this?”
“Hey, don’t blame me!” Natsu said as he pointed a thumb at Haru. “Haru picked the job!”
“Only because you wanted to have a potential barbecue!” Haru countered while Lucy sighed and shook her head.
“I don’t even know why I ended up going, in the end,” Lucy said. “It’s not like I’m paying rent these days. I moved out and started living with you guys only three days ago!”
“Hey, we gotta fill up our pantry somehow,” Natsu said before his stomach began to rumble, causing him to wrap his arms around it while giving a pitiful look. “I mean, what do you expect us to eat? The air around us? We’re not Wendy, y’know!”
“Aye!” Happy agreed. “And we still need lots of yummy fish, too!”
“You two really should start thinking with your heads and not your stomachs,” Haru muttered, and even Blue Fang groaned in agreement.
“Ah, who cares?” Natsu shrugged. “Elektra can make us lunch when we get back home.”
“So I guess this means the job’s a bust, huh?” Lucy asked before she sighed. “Typical. I don’t need to pay rent, anymore, and yet I somehow still end up losing money.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it, Luce!” Natsu grinned. “It’ll all work out, somehow!”
A pause… before Lucy buzzed her lips and giggled, somehow getting caught up in the Salamander’s natural charisma. To this day, she still doesn't understand how it was that such a simple smile from him could make her feel better whenever she was feeling down, but she stopped trying to understand long ago. If it made her happy, why should she question it, anyway?
“Thanks, Natsu,” Lucy said with a smile, causing Natsu to blink at her with a slight blush on his cheeks before he snickered.
“How about we just head home?” he asked. “We’ve had a rough day.”
“Sounds good to me,” Haru agreed.
“Aye!” Happy nodded, and even Blue Fang barked in agreement, and with that, they all began the walk back to Magnolia. They knew it would be pretty long, but they didn’t mind. They honestly enjoyed the walk home, Natsu more so than anyone else since it meant he didn’t have to ride in the Wolf Wagon which, sadly, was sold away by the guild in an attempt to rebuild their lost funds.
As they walked, Haru went over to her brother’s side with a knowing smile, to his confusion.
“Sooooo…?” she asked.
“Sooooo… what?” Natsu asked.
“Come on, bro, don’t play dumb on me, now,” Haru replied. “When are you gonna tell Lucy?”
Natsu’s eyes widened and his face turned red before he quickly looked away from her, knowing exactly what his sister was implying. 7 years ago, before being trapped on Tenrou Island by the Fairy Sphere, he had decided to tell Lucy about his feelings for her. Of course, he didn’t get the chance to due to the sudden arrival of Grimoire Heart, followed by Acnologia’s attack on Tenrou Island. Even after everyone managed to return home, he still didn’t get the chance due to Lucy finding out about the death of her father, Jude Heartfilia, just one month before they all returned.
Every time Natsu was getting ready to tell her, it always seemed like such bad timing… but now? Nothing was going to stop him, this time.
“I’ll tell her after we get back,” the Salamander replied, causing Haru to smile.
“Good luck, then, bro,” said the Beast Wizard. “I’m rooting for you.”
“What are you guys talking about up there?” Lucy asked, causing Natsu to tense a bit.
“Uh… you know, what we’re gonna have to eat when we get back,” Natsu said.
“I hope it’s fish!” Happy said.
“You always want it to be fish!” Haru called. “You know, Happy, you should try opening your palate just a little bit more.”
“I’ll have you know that I did try that,” Happy pointed out. “It’s just that I still prefer raw fish.”
Lucy couldn’t help giggling at that, and even Natsu, Haru, and Blue Fang all joined in her laughter.
“Oh, Happy,” Lucy said with a fond smile as they continued the walk back home.